Eureka Entertainment to release Legend of the Mountain [Shan zhong zhuan qi], the beautifully restored directors’ cut of a King Hu masterpiece, as part of The Masters of Cinema Series in a definitive Dual Format (Blu-ray & DVD) edition on 19 March 2018 at the RRP of £17.99.

Although most commonly associated with the Wuxia genre, in 1979 King Hu directed the epic fantasy-horror, Legend of the Mountain. Heavily influenced by traditional Chinese aesthetics and Zen Buddhist philosophy, it has come to be regarded as one of his greatest filmmaking achievements.

A young scholar, Ho Yunqing (Shih Jun – A Touch of Zen, Dragon Inn), is tasked by an eminent monk to transcribe a Buddhist sutra said to have immense power over the spirits of the afterlife. To execute his work in peace, he travels to an isolated monastery deep in the mountains, where he encounters a number of strange people, including the mysterious and beautiful Melody (Hsu Feng – A Touch of Zen, Dragon Inn). As malicious spirits attempt to steal the sutra, Ho becomes entangled in a conflict between duelling forces of good and evil. Will he leave the mountain alive?

Adapted from a Song Dynasty folk tale, Legend of the Mountain exemplifies King Hu’s masterful command of spectacular visuals and philosophical insights into life and existence. Heavily edited upon release, the film has now been fully restored to its original length in stunning 4K, and is coming to UK home video for the first time in this special dual format edition from Masters of Cinema.

Dual format features:

Limited Edition O-Card (2000 units) – first print run only

1080p presentation of the film on Blu-ray, with a progressive encode on the DVD

Uncompressed LPCM mono audio

Newly translated English subtitles

A new video essay by critic and filmmaker David Cairns

A new interview with Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns

Trailer

A collector’s booklet featuring an abundance of archival writing and imagery